The federal government paid for activist Yassmin Abdel-Magied to tour some of the world’s most repressive Islami­c regimes last Novem­be­r, promoting her book about being a Sudanese-Egypt­ian-Australian Muslim woman who wears the hijab.

The tour, which included stops in Saudi Arabia, where women are flogged for adultery and are not permitted to drive, was funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which declined yesterday to reveal the cost.

Ms Abdel-Magied, who sat next to Malcolm Turnbull at the Iftar dinner for Muslim leaders held at Kirribilli House last year to celebrate the end of Ramadan, made headlines this week when, as a guest on the ABC’s Q&Aprogram, she describe­d Islam as “the most femin­ist” of all relig­ions.

Her statement was rejected by a fiery senator Jacqui Lambie, who argued that those countries where sharia informs the law are some of the most violently mis­ogynistic places on earth.

A group of 49 Muslim scholars are now demanding an apology from the ABC for not silencing Senator Lambie, saying the prog­ram host, Tony Jones, failed to provide a “safe environment” for Ms Abdel-Magied to speak.

Ms Abdel-Magied, who is also employed by the ABC as a host of a travel program, promoted her tour of the Middle East and Africa on her blog last November, saying: “I’m heading out on tour to the Middle East and North Africa! Very excited to be supported by the Australian Embassies in the region to visit numerous countries over the next three weeks inshallah. First stop: Saudi Arabia!”

Asked to explain the purpose, rationale and cost of the tour, DFAT said: “Yassmin Abdel-Magied­ visited a number of countries­ in the Middle East to promote Australia as an open, innovative, democratic and diverse nation. She met youth representatives, scientists, entrepreneurs, women’s groups and others.”

The statement said DFAT posts or embassies in the Middle East funded the visit “from existing budgets”, but declined to reveal­ the cost. Promoting her tour of the Middle East and North Africa, Ms Abdel-Magied blogged: “I’m ­incredibly honoured to be hosted by the Australian Embassies … I’ll be visit­ing a number of countries, and although not all stops have public events I will do my best to make time to meet people ­inshallah. If you can come to any of the public sessions though, I would LOVE to see you there!”

Her stops included Riyadh, where women who venture outdoors must wear the abaya, or full body covering, and punishments for sexual crimes include flogging and stoning; Abu Dhabi, where women require the permission of a male relative to remarry; Dubai, where most Westerners live in compounds; and Qatar, where ­marita­l rape is not a crime.

She also visited Kuwait, Jordan, Israel, Egypt and Sudan, where more than 90 per cent of women undergo forced genital mutilation, forced marriage is common and polygamy is permissible, although only for men. “If you have questions about specific locations, hit me up on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter inshall­ah,” Ms Abdel-Magied wrote. “Can’t wait!”

Many women who attended the public events praised her, with one Twitter user saying: “What an awesome speech. Thank you Yassmin for the valuable advice and for being such an inspiration to the Sudanese youth.”

Ms Abdel-Magied posted on Instagram from the Ahfad University for women in Sudan: “@ahfad_university50 was a blast! Mashallah, amazing women doing awesome things. Keep at it!” From Abu Dhabi she posted: “Among meeting some amazing women in government and seeing the grand mosque, had the opportunity to address almost 200 female engineers … Hopefully it has an impact inshallah!”

She told the ABC audience on Monday night: “Islam, to me, is one of the most … is the most feminist religion, right? We got equal rights well before­ the Europeans. We don’t take our husband’s last names … the fact is, what is culture is separate from what is faith.”

She also argued that Muslims in Australia must follow the laws of the land on which they live.

Some Islamic scholars disputed this. Sharia advice website ­IslamToday said: “They must comply with the laws of their country of residence without, at the same time, disobeying Islamic law.”

Ms Abdel-Magied addressed the Q&A stoush on the website Junkee yesterday: “I got into a bit of a tiff with Jacqui Lambie. I said Islam was a feminist religio­n and some people found that really hard to understand … I’m not going to deny, some countries run by Muslims are ­violent and sexist, but that’s not down to sharia. That’s down to the culture and the patriarchy and the politics of those … countries.”

She has not responde­d to questions from The Australian.

The places Yassmin Abdel-Magied visited, and a short description of each:

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:

Women in Saudi Arabia live under an iron-fist male guardianship system, whereby women cannot participate in various activities without male permission and/ or supervision. They are not allowed to obtain a passport to travel abroad without such permission; they are not permitted to drive, or swim in public pools or beaches, or compete in sporting events without male supervision. Women who venture outdoors must wear the abaya (the full body covering) and often the face is covered, too. Punishments for sexual ‘crimes’ such as adultery and even rape include flogging and stoning (for the woman, not the rapist.)

Abu Dhabi, UAE:

Women live under a male guardianship system similar to that which operates in Saudi Arabia. Women require the permission of a male relative to re-marry if widowed, and Emirati women – as opposed to low-paid foreign nannies and domestics – generally do not work outside the home. The first woman minister of state for the UAE, Maitha Salem Al-Shamsi was appointed as recently as 2004. She appears in public fully veiled. Flogging and stoning for adultery, pre-marital sex and prostitution are commonplace, and it is illegal for Muslims to marry non-Muslims. Human rights lawyers in Abu Dhabi have expressed concern over what they regard as the criminalization of sexual assault victims.

Dubai, UAE:

The international human rights organisation, Human Rights Watch, recently warned expatriate woman intending to live in Dubai – in compounds, since Western women cannot live freely outside the Western compounds – to educate themselves about the lack of rights for women and girls under a Sharia-inspired legal system, which may mean that reports of domestic violence will not be prosecuted. Women, including foreign women living in Dubai, can lose custody of their children to their former partners, who are then able to prevent mothers from seeing their children. Also, the Sharia-inspired courts often apply an interpretation of the law, under which ‘it’s permissible for a husband to physically chastise his wife and it is a crime for a woman to work without her husband’s permission’ according to Human Rights Watch.

Doha, Qatar:

Sharia-inspired law actively discriminates against women in Qatar, where the deplorable state of women’s rights is comparable only to Saudi Arabia. Under Qatari law, women, unlike Qatari men, cannot pass on their nationality to their children. There are no women in Qatar’s Shura Council and sex without marriage is punishable by flogging or death. Marriages for women are generally arranged. Women are generally required to wear the abaya in public, and in many cases reveal only their eyes. The men, too, wear traditional dress, such as white cotton robes and either red or white head scarves, of the type rarely seen on the ABC’s QandA.

Kuwait:

Women in Kuwait are among the most emancipated women in the Middle East. The level of education for women is high, and Kuwaiti women were granted the right to vote in May 2005. Four years later, four women were elected to the Kuwaiti parliament for the first time. Many of these changes have been encouraged or inspired by American human rights agencies, as part of a rebuilding effort in Kuwait after Iraqi forces were repelled.

Jordan:

A strong women’s rights movement has existed in Jordan for many decades. While marriages between Muslim women and non-Muslim men are not recognized, and honour crimes still occur, Jordanian women have a high level of education and workplace participation.

Ramallah, Palestine:

A 2015 report by Amal Syam, Director of Women’s Affairs Center in Gaza, says Palestinian women live within a “strong patriarchal culture” where gender stereotypes “limit women’s rights and gender equality.” A quarter of the women surveyed reported physical violence, and more than 10 percent reported sexual violence, with the majority of perpetrators being husbands and other male family members. Families give preference to boys’ needs over girls’ in education, inheritance, and other rights. Early marriage constitutes a major area of concern.

Israel:

A western-style parliamentary democracy and the rule of law extends to the women of Israel, which is the only country in the Middle East to ever elect a female prime minister (Golda Meir.) Women sit in parliament and vote in elections. Israeli law prohibits discrimination based on gender in employment and wages. Israeli women serve in the military and participate in all areas of public life. Orthodox Jewish women cover their hair in public, and Orthodox men are able to refuse a woman’s request to divorce.

Cairo, Egypt:

Female genital mutilation, honour killings and rape are the most serious issues facing Egyptian women, who also endure forced marriage, and live under a brutal regime of laws based on Islamic Sharia. A man can divorce his wife for any reason while a woman needs grounds to file for divorce, and polygamy is legal for men only. Women inherit half what a man inherits.

Sudan:

Female genital mutilate affects upwards of 90 per cent of women, who suffer lifelong health problems, including potentially fatal birth complications, as a result. Conflict with neighbouring South Sudan has forced many women and girls into refugee camps, where security forces use sexual violence as a method of control. A 2015 Human Rights Watch report suggests that women in Sudan have few rights to property and almost no agency over their own lives. The abaya is required for women venturing out in public.

In promoting her tour of the Middle East and Africa, Yassmin wrote: “If you have questions about specific locations, hit me up on Facebook / Instagram / Twitter. Inshallah. Can’t wait!

These groups do not gravitate to money from governments, they are encouraged to it by governments, particularly on the left. Dividing people to control them is the ancient art of governing in a non-democratic fashion.

How about spare us the adjectives and just declare yourself Australian? Oh, yes, because that would mean you are white and racist.

Islamophobia is a rubbish made up term, but since the left feels no shame in using such terms, how about I coin right here and now a few new ones, applicable to all on the left?

Democrophobia – irrational fear and hatred of democracy and government by and for the people.
Fiscalphobia – irrational fear and hatred of any and all things to do with fiance, money and economics

Oh, yes! The “Religion of Peace” is also the religion most hospitable to women! Especially those who can tour on the taxpayers’ dollars to propagandize for the Islamists! What’s not to like about this?!